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Halloween in Maastricht

I love Halloween. I know it’s not as widely celebrated on the continent as it is at home in Britain, just as it isn’t as widely celebrated in Britain as it is in the United States of America, but it’s still great.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Halloween in Maastricht, having previously mentioned to a Dutch housemate that we should have a Halloween party and being told “we don’t really do halloween” – almost as though I’d suggested something as crass as a tarts and vicar’s party. Combined with the admittance of another Dutch girl I know that this would be her “first” Halloween, I was beginning to think that this could be as redundant as Guy Fawkes night.

Whatever it was going to end up being, I knew I wanted to celebrate it. Luckily Maastricht is international enough that a vast number of students did want to do something about it and gradually some excitement emerged. Frantic Facebook discussions about costumes, references to people spotted in Halloween costumes and a couple of overheard conversations about pumpkin carving in Albert Heijn proved that all hope was not lost, and my friends (pictured above) decided to host a Halloween party.

And I have to say, I was impressed. The level of effort was impeccable on the part of the boys, there was a zombie Amy Winehouse, a Doctor Who, quite a few cross-dressers and a couple of nuns as well as other halloween favourites. And the girls? Quite a lot of cats (myself included) but still better than I’d expected. I don’t know if it was the copious amount of Jumbo rose wine I drank, but if I remember that night correctly, Halloween was definitely done with more enthusiasm than I’d been lead to believe.

About the author

Phoebe studied Arts and Culture at Maastricht University. She was a contributor to the Maastricht Students blog from October 2012 to February 2013.